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Appealing a decision

If you receive a negative decision on your asylum application, you have the right to appeal against the decision to an Administrative Court.

Appeal instructions will be attached to the asylum decision you receive. The instructions specify the Administrative Court to which you may appeal, the appeal period, the attachments needed, and the ways you may submit your appeal to the Administrative Court.

When is a decision final?

If you do not appeal a decision, it will become final when the appeal period expires. At this point, the police may remove you from the country. If you have applied for assisted voluntary return, you will not be removed from Finland even if the decision which you have received is already final.

A decision is also final in the following situations:

  • You have not applied to the Supreme Administrative Court for leave to appeal a decision made by an Administrative Court, and the appeal period (30 days) expires.
  • The Supreme Administrative Court has not granted you leave to appeal a decision made by an Administrative Court.

Decisions that cannot be appealed

If you have cancelled your application and received a decision on its expiry, you cannot appeal this decision. Additionally, you cannot appeal a decision made by the Finnish Immigration Service to grant you a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection. It is also impossible to appeal a decision made by the Finnish Immigration Service to grant a residence permit to a foreign national who arrives in Finland as a quota refugee.

Hearing of an appeal by an Administrative Court

The Administrative Courts may reject your appeal or overturn a decision made by the Finnish Immigration Service. If an Administrative Court overturns a decision, it will send the matter back to the Finnish Immigration Service for processing.

If you have any questions about the processing of your matter after the Finnish Immigration Service has made a decision on it, you should contact your legal counsel. If you appeal a decision you have received, kindly direct your questions to the instance where your matter is being processed, such as an Administrative Court or the Supreme Administrative Court.

Appeals to the Supreme Administrative Court

If the Administrative Court rejects your appeal, you can continue appealing by lodging an appeal at the Supreme Administrative Court if it grants leave to appeal.